Sawmill setting and receding mechanism.



DE WITT- C. PRESCOTT.

SAWMILL SETTING AND REGEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATIOK FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

1,038,788. Patented Sept. 17,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Del/27 673686077,

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co.,wAsm:NuTON. D. C.

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DE WITT G. PRESCOTT. SAWMILL SETTING AND REO'BDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

lm am or Fez/Q7 fiasco/Z Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 COLUMBIA PLANOORAP" CD" WASHINGTON, D. C.

DE WITT G. PRESCOTT. SAWMILL SETTING AND RBGEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

' Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

c0LuMBl A PLANOHRAPH CO... WASHINGTON. D. C.

DE WITT G. PRESCOTT. SAWMILL SETTING AND momma MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

Patented Sept. 17, 19

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH 60-.WASH1NGTON, D. c.

TED STATES PATENT UFFTQE.

:on wire c. rnnscorr, or oHrcAeo, ILLrnor-s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1'7, 1912.

Application filed June 9, 1911. Serial No. 632,294.

or cant to the saw line or for throwing it from the carriage, and forreceding the knees to receive a new log or cant.

The object of the invention is to provide power-actuated means foraccomplishing these means, and particularly for control ling the actionofthis mechanism so as to;

accurately advance the log or cant the required distance, such mechanismto be simple of construction, easy of manipulation, and accurate inadjustment. These objects are attained in the structure hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is a detail plan of a saw-mill car riage with the improvedmechanism-mounted thereon; Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of thecarriage showing the setting mechanism; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 44 ofFig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail plan, partly in section, and with some of theparts broken away, of the controlling mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line 6-6 of 5; Fig. 7 is a sectionaldetail on the line 77 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of thequadrant and one of the stop pins forming a part of the controllingmechanism.

The carriage comprises the sills 15, 16, and suitable cross-sills, as17. The headblocks, here shown as two in number, are represented at 18,19, and, as usual, are located transversely of the carriage and projectslightly beyond its forward side so as to just clear the saw lineindicated at X. The usual knees 20 and 21 are mounted toslicle upon theheadblocks, and 011 their under faces are provided with the usualgear-racks for meshing with pinions mounted upon the set-shaft 22 whichis journaled in the base of the head-block.

A motor, shown as a common form of steam engine 23, is mounted upon thecarr age, its shaft 24 being provided with a pinion 25, meshing with agear-wheel 26 fixed upon the set-shaft 22, so that by driving the motorin either direction the knees may be advanced or receded.

A pinion 27 is loosely mounted on the shaft 22 and in fixed relationwith a clutch member 28. A companion clutch member 29 is slidablymounted on the shaft 22, and is locked to the shaft, in order to rotatetherewith, by means of a feather or spline 30. This slidable clutchmember is controlled by the usual shipper yoke 31 and shipper lever 32.,The pinion 27 meshes with a gear-wheel 33 fixed upon a shaft 34 carryinga worm-wheel 35. A vertical shaft 36 carries a worm 37, which engagesthe worm-wheel 35. Upon the upper end of the shaft 36 there is mounted ahand-erank 38. A pinion 39, fixed upon the shaft 36, meshes with agear-wheel 40, rotatably mounted upon a standard 41 rising from andfirmly set in the frame of the carriage, and to the upperfiat face ofthe gear 40 there is fixed a ratchet wheel 42. An arm 43 is pivoted uponthe upper end of the standard 41 so as'to swing freely over the ratchetwheel 42, and carries a laterally projected curved or segmental arm 44.A rigid stop bar 45 extends from the standard 41 to a bracket 46 risingfrom the sill 16, and con stituting a part of the frame-work forcarrying the worm-shaft 36 and other portions of the mechanism. The bar45 is located betweenthe arm 43 and the ratchet wheel 42. The arm 43 isprovided with a downwardly projecting boss 47, whlch limits the movementof the arm in one direction by its contact with the stop bar 45. A pawl48, pivotally mounted upon the arm 43 and controlledby means of ahand-piece 49, cotiperates'with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 42,normally locking the arm and the ratchet wheel together in such mannerthat as the wheel is turned the arm is turned by the action of the worm.The boss 47 is carried toward the bar 45.

A plurality of adjustable positive stops,

as many as desired, are carried by the quadslidable therein, these pinsbeing et -such"- length that they may be depressed so that,

they will make contact with the bar 45 when the arm 43 ismoved'backward. Each of the pins 50 carries a laterally project-- ingstud 51, which is adapted to slide through a groove 52extending-laterally from the aperture in the quadrant 44 within;

wh ich the pinis fitted. When the pin is not in service itis raisedtobring the stud 51 abovethe upper face of the quadrant, and isthenturned to throw the stud out of register with the groove 52.

' The boss 47 hasa threaded aperture within which there is fitted ascrew-bolt;53, having a knurled head 54, the end 55 of thesbolt beinghardened, this bolt constitutin'g'an adjustable stop for engagement withthe-bar 45. This bar ispreferably armored, as shown at 56, a piece ofhardened steel being set in its face for engagement by the boss 47 orthe end 55 of the bolt 53. V 1 When a log or cant is mounted upon thehead-blocks the setter causes its advance the desired distance in thefollowing manner:'

The motor 23 having its power applied to advance the knees, and theclutch member 29 being in engagement with the clutch member 28, the,worm-wheel .35 tends Ito rotate the worm shaft '36 but, is lockedagainst movement by the worm 37, which is made of suitable pitch tosecure this action.

Theoperator depresses one of the pins 50. These pins determine the limitof backward I movement of the arm 43. Let it be assumed that it isdesired to cut from. the cant a board 1%ths inches thick. The operatordepresses the pin designated. with this 1111 meral, as shown in Figs. 5and 6; he then 40 releases the pawl 48 and swings the arm 43 back untilthis pin makes contact with the bar 45, whereupon he permits the pawl toagain come into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 42. 7 Bynow rotating the shaft36 by means of the hand crank 38, he brings theboss 47 or bolt 53 into engagement with the bar 45, permitting thewormwheel 35, and consequently the set shaft 22, to be rotatedsufiiciently to advance the knees the required distance.

In the manufacture of lumber it is sometimes desired to cutto the exactthickness specified, sometimes to cut the boarda little scant of thedesignated measurement, and sometimes to-cut it full or slightly inexcess of the measurement specified. The boss 47 is so positioned thatwhen its front face is relied upon to make contact with the bar 45 thelumber produced will be slightly in excess of the measurement indicatedby the numeral on the stop pin 50. By advancing the bolt53 so that 1tsend constitutes the engaging member the range of movement of I'or. plankto be cut, whether mounted on a correspondingly reduced. The bolt 53 carries, a lock nut 57 to enable the operator to eii'ect the adjustment ofthis limiting device and maintain it as fixed. -----The stop mechanismas described is for thepurposeof controlling the motor. 7 Whilethefconnections between the stop mechanism narid'the motor are shown asbeing through the set-shaft, and this form of construction is at presentpreferred,it isobvious that the scope ofthe invention is broader thanthis specific form of connection and that any means whereby the wormwheel and the stop mechanism associated therewith are connected with themotor, will secure the deso sired results. 1 Y f i Whilelthereis shownin the drawings as the means for connecting the set-shaft with the kneesa gear-rack attachedto the bottom of the lmee and meshinglwith thepinion carried by the set-shaft, it is understood that the invention isapplicable to otherforms of construction'j'in which the gearing fordriving the'knees from the set-shaft is difierently organized. i 'iWhile the invention is shown in connection with thehead-blocks ofasaw-mill carriagefit is applicable: to any setting device fordetermimng thethickn ess of the board carriage .or' otherwise arranged,or whether movement is imparted directly to 'the log or cant or to atable carrying the same or to the saw, the log or cant remaining thesame plane as before. 1} 1C In sawing timber the knees may berapidlyadvancedby the motor 23 ,to discharge the finished stick from .thehead-blocks by. manually separating the clutch members 28, f3

29. Preferably the clutch members 28, 29 10s are provided with inclinedteeth, as shown, in order that when the motor 23 is reversed to recedethe knees, these clutch members will automatically separate. I Iclaim asmy invention 1. In a saw mill set works, in combination, a set shaft, aworm wheel, a motor for driving the set shaft and worm wheel, a wormshaft meshing with the worm wheel, a hand crank directly applied to theworm shaft, a ratchet, a train of speed reducing gears operativelyconnecting the worm shaft and ratchet, an oscillatable pawl arm drivenin one direction by the ratchet and a positive stop for limiting themovement of the pawlarm in that direction. 7

, 2. Ina saw mill-set works, in combination, 'traveling knees, a motorfor moving the, knees, a worm wheel driven by the 'motor, a worm shaftengaging the worm wheel, a hand crank, a ratchet, operative connectionbetween the hand crank the worm shaft and .the ratchet including a pairof speed reduc- M the arm 43 is slightly reduced, and conse- 65 quentlythe thickness of lumber produced is ing gears whereby the ratchet isturned at a less rate than the hand crank andworm shaft, an oscillatablepawl arm driven in a ratchet Wheel driven by the Worm shaft, onedirection by the ratchet, and a positive a pawl-arm driven by theratchet Wheel, a 10 stop for limiting the movement of the pawl positivestop for the paw1-arm, and means arm in that direction. for manuallyturning the Worm shaft.

3. In a saw-mill set-Works, in combina- DE WITT C. PRESCOTT. tion, a setshaft, a motor for rotating the Witnesses: shaft, a Worm Wheel drivenfrom the shaft, LOUIS K. GILLsoN, a Worm shaft meshing With the WormWheel, E. M. KLATOHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

